CHAPTER 110: THE BIG GUY

The clouds parted as they crossed into Olympus.

White marble towers rose from the mountainside, their tips hidden in gold light. The wind here carried the scent of myrrh and fresh rain, warm against the skin.

Lucifer slowed his pace just enough to take it all in. His eyes swept over every pillar, every garden, every goddess and nymph walking the courtyards. And, of course, he winked at each one that glanced his way.

A few giggled. A few frowned. One rolled her eyes. Lucifer seemed pleased with all of them.

"You’re going to make enemies before you even sit down," Zeus muttered without looking back.

"Enemies, friends—sometimes the same thing," Lucifer replied, flashing a flirty smile at a passing handmaiden. "Besides, you really have a lot of beautiful people here. Almost distracting."

"Almost?"

Lucifer smirked. "You’re still in front of me."

Zeus didn’t dignify that with a response.

They crossed the great plaza, where mosaics of past battles were set into the stone underfoot. Soldiers bowed as Zeus passed. Priests stepped aside. Some glanced at Lucifer with curiosity, others with unease.

The massive bronze doors of the throne room opened without a sound. Inside, the air was cooler, the light dimmer, filtered through high windows that caught the shifting clouds outside. The throne itself sat on a raised platform—white gold, carved with storms frozen in motion.

Zeus walked up the steps and turned, looking at Lucifer from above.

"You’ve had your tour," Zeus said. "Now let’s make this simple."

He lifted a hand. The air shimmered in front of him, rippling like water. The image of the mortal realm took shape—mountains, seas, forests, and cities alive with light.

"You’ll find more enjoyment there than here," Zeus said. "Go. Cause chaos, drink, fight—whatever it is you do. Just not here."

Lucifer’s gaze lingered on the image. His smile was faint, but his eyes were sharp. "Tempting. But I can’t."

"Can’t?" Zeus asked, lowering his hand.

Lucifer stepped forward until the mortal realm’s projection cast its light across his face. "The moment I set foot there, my father will smell me. He’ll drag me back to Hell before I can take two steps. And between you and me, I’m not in the mood to play that game again."

Zeus’s brows drew together. "Your father?"

Lucifer gave him a knowing look. "The big guy. Creator of... everything worth noticing. You have your Olympus. He has his throne. Whole different pantheon. Whole different league."

Zeus leaned back in the throne. Now it was clear. God. Not a god like the ones who sat in Olympus or Asgard, but the one—the presence so far above it all that even thinking about it felt like looking into the sun. And suddenly, his system chimed in his mind.

[MAIN QUEST]

Quest: The Age of Gods

Objective: Establish Olympus as the center of divine order across all realms. Unite or conquer all pantheons and safeguard mortal fate.

Requirements:

– Build Pantheon Seats (12/12)

– Gain Full Realm Recognition (3/3)

– Rewrite the Divine Law

– Survive the First Crisis

The words were still burning in his mind when the weight of it settled. That "old man" was strong—too strong. Zeus knew the difference between power you could challenge and power you couldn’t even approach. Against that... he’d be an ant.

He focused back on Lucifer. "What did you do," he asked slowly, "to end up in Hell?"

Lucifer’s smile curved into something darker, almost nostalgic. "You’re going to need a drink and a chair for that one."

Zeus sat. A golden jug appeared beside his throne, the goblet filling itself. "Go on."

Lucifer took the steps two at a time, stopping halfway up, leaning a shoulder against one of the pillars. He didn’t bother asking for his own drink.

"Alright," Lucifer said, voice dropping just enough to pull the room in. "I wasn’t always the villain. I wasn’t always the thing parents warned their children about. I was the highest of His host—brightest star, perfect creation. The kind of beauty that didn’t belong to the world, only to the sky. And I knew it."

Zeus didn’t interrupt.

"I led the choirs. I stood at His right hand. Every word I spoke was law to those below me. Not because He said so—but because they believed in me. I believed in me."

Lucifer’s eyes shifted to the floor, the light from the high windows cutting sharp lines across his face.

"And then came the new thing. Mortal clay, shaped into bodies. Weak, fragile, stupid—and He loved them. Said they would inherit the world. That we—perfection itself—would serve them."

Zeus’s fingers tightened around the armrest.

"I asked why. I asked how something so... breakable could be worth more than us. He told me I didn’t need to understand. I only needed to obey." Lucifer gave a slow, humorless laugh. "That’s when the crack started. The more I thought about it, the more I saw it—a flaw in the order of things. I wasn’t the only one. Whispers turned to voices. Voices turned to a roar."

His tone cooled. "I didn’t raise an army to destroy Him. I raised one to free us. To rewrite what we were bound to. If the throne couldn’t see the truth, then the throne had to be taken."

Zeus leaned forward slightly. "And?"

Lucifer’s eyes went distant, as if replaying it. "The war was fast, brutal, and beautiful in its own way. We didn’t lose because we were weak—we lost because He didn’t need to fight. One word, and the sky itself turned against us. The ground split, the light burned, and I fell. Not in the poetic way. I fell because the ground I was standing on ceased to exist, and the next thing I touched was fire."

The words carried heat, as if the memory itself still burned under his skin.

"They call it Hell now. I call it what it is—a prison. He didn’t kill me. That would’ve been mercy. He locked me where I could see everything I’d lost, and He made sure I’d never forget the sound of the gates closing."

Silence settled for a moment. The only sound was the faint rush of wind outside.

Lucifer’s gaze found Zeus again, sharp as glass. "So when you ask what I did? I dared to believe I could be more than what I was told to be."

Zeus sat back in his throne, the goblet still untouched. The story was more than history—it was a warning.

"You’re telling me," Zeus said slowly, "that if you go to the mortal realm, He will know instantly."

Lucifer nodded. "And when He does, I’ll be back in chains before I can blink. And if you’re standing near me when that happens, He’ll see you too."

Zeus’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Which means having you here already puts Olympus on the map."

Lucifer’s smirk returned, faint but real. "Congratulations. You’ve just become interesting to the most powerful being in existence."

For the first time, Zeus didn’t feel entirely in control. The system’s quest burned quietly in the back of his mind, the words heavy as stone: Unite or conquer all pantheons.

And the first obstacle wasn’t a Titan. It was a God who made Titans look small.